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Kenwood Excelon quality

Kenwood Excelon receivers are built for great sound, with hot 4-volt preamp outputs for your amps and an impressive array of sound-sculpting tools. The Kenwood Excelon KDC-X498 CD receiver features a built-in HD Radio™ tuner that allows you to haul in local participating stations with dramatically improved sound quality. And Kenwood backs up this versatile receiver with a 2-year warranty.

HD Radio for awesome sound

When you tune in a local station broadcasting an HD Radio signal, you'll hear FM that's close to CD quality or AM that comes in clear and static-free. And unlike satellite services, there are no subscription fees. If your iPod's hooked up to the KDC-X498, you can also tag songs that you hear on HD Radio, then buy them later online. And most participating stations send out secondary programming, giving you more choices when you're in the mood for radio.

One versatile USB port

The receiver's front-panel USB port allows you to access and control the music stored on your iPhone® or Android® phone. With your iPhone, you also have control over iHeartRadio® and Pandora® Internet radio stations. And if you have MP3, WMA, or WAV music files on a thumb drive, the USB port can handle those too. Here's a unique feature from Kenwood — Drive Change allows you to connect a memory card reader with multiple cards to the Kenwood's USB input, and select music from up to five cards.

The sleek design and variable display illumination let the KDC-X498 look great in your dash.

The sound and the display

You can use the 3-band parametric equalizer to adjust the centerpoint of your treble, midrange, and bass controls. The low-pass frequency filter and phase control adjusts the bass going to your subwoofer. You can also adjust the variable color display so this Kenwood looks right at home in your dash, while dust covers protect the CD slot, aux input, and USB port.

Want to keep your car's steering wheel audio controls?

In most vehicles, you can use an adapter (not included) to connect your vehicle's steering wheel controls to this Kenwood stereo. Connect a few wires, then program the adapter for your particular car and this Kenwood, and you'll retain the convenience of your steering wheel controls. Check the "Accessories" tab to see a selection of compatible adapters.

iPod/smartphone note: If you're going to use your iPod or smartphone with this receiver, be sure to check "Details" for compatibility information.

Product Highlights:

General features:

CD receiver with AM/FM tuner

built-in HD Radio tuner

built-in MOSFET amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)

plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RW discs including discs loaded with MP3 and WMA music files

Other features and specs:

Why replace your factory radio?

Two good reasons - sound quality and cool features. A new car stereo offers power that's superior to most factory radios, along with more sophisticated tone controls. And most car stereos offer built-in or optional features that add safety and fun to life in your car, including inputs for your iPod or MP3 player, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free cell phone calls, satellite radio or HD Radio reception, and connections for building an audio system in your car.

MOSFET Amplifier: The Kenwood KDC-X498 is equipped with a
MOSFET amplifier. Compared to conventional power supplies, the MOSFET
amplification circuit is smaller and more efficient, and it delivers increased
power with less distortion and absolutely zero on/off switching noise. More
power means louder and cleaner music at higher volumes because you're not
pushing the limits of the amplification circuit. The power output specs for the
KDC-X498 are as follows:

6ch/4V Preamp Outputs: The KDC-X498 features front, rear
and subwoofer 4.0-volt preamp outputs. The front and rear speaker preamp outputs
are balance and fade adjustable. The subwoofer preamp output is non-fading. The
front, rear, and subwoofer preamp outputs are fixed to the rear chassis of the
head unit.

Front & Rear High-Pass Filter: The KDC-X498 features a
High-Pass Crossover for the front & rear channels when your front & rear
speakers are connected by the unit's speaker-outputs or preamp-outputs. You can
adjust the high-pass crossover from "Through", 100, 120, or 150 Hz. The
"Through" selection is a full-range setting.

Subwoofer Controls: The Kenwood KDC-X498 offers the following subwoofer controls, when you
are using unit's subwoofer preamp output.

Low Pass Filter: The receiver
features a built-in Low Pass Filter control for the preamp-output, when the
output is set to Subwoofer. You can select from 85 Hz, 120 Hz, 160 Hz, or off.

Subwoofer Phase: You can adjust the phase of the
subwoofer output between 180-degrees (Reverse) or 0-degrees (Normal).

Subwoofer Level: Once the Subwoofer preamp output is
activated, you can independently control the
subwoofer preamp output level (-15 to +15) from the CD receiver.

Speaker Settings: The Speaker
Setting function tailors the head unit's audio settings according to the
type of speakers in your vehicle. You may select a Speaker Setting of 'SP-Off'
(flat/off), 'SP-OEM' (for OEM factory speaker systems), 'SP-6x9/6' (for systems with 6"
and 6"x9" speakers), or 'SP-5/4' (for systems with 4" and 5" speakers).

Bass Boost: The Kenwood CD receiver features a Bass
Boost control that can be set to the following levels (BB1, BB2, BB3, or
Off).

Loudness: This function enhances low and high
frequencies to make the sound clearer lower volumes. There are 3 levels
(LV1, LV2, or Off).

Sound Reconstruction: When MP3 or WMA files encoded at a low
bit rate (less than 96 kbps, 44.1k, 48kHz) are played, the Sound
Reconstruction function restores their high frequencies so the sound quality
is closer to files encoded at a high bit rate. The processing is optimized
for the compression format and the bit rate used. When Sound Reconstruction is Off,
the unit plays the original sound stored in the audio file.

Volume Offset: The level of each source may be independently
adjusted to prevent radical leaps in output volume when switching from one
source to another. The available settings range from -8 to 0 (-8 to +8 for Aux
source).

Key Beep: The in-dash head unit provides an audible beep to
confirm button operation. This function can be turned On or Off.

USB/Android/Aux Integration

USB Port: The Kenwood KDC-X498 features a front panel
USB (type-A) port that is hidden behind a flip-up cover. The USB port
enables connection and control of a portable USB mass-storage class (MSC) device;
such as select Android smartphones (Froyo/Gingerbread OS only), portable digital
audio players, or USB thumbdrives. The unit supports playback of MP3 (8-320 kbps), WMA (32-192 kbps),
and WAV music files
stored on a compatible USB memory device formatted with FAT12/16/32 file system. Your USB device should only have a maximum of 8 folder
layers, 999 folders, and 999 files per folder - with a maximum of 20,480 files
and folders. USB portable audio players that can be charged via USB will be
charged when plugged into the CD receiver's USB port (max. 1A), and the vehicle's ignition
switch is set to ACC or On.

Note: When a mass-storage class (MSC) compatible
smartphone is connected to the head unit's USB input, the unit's Drive
Change features lets you select its internal memory or external memory (such
as an SD card) for stored music playback. The Drive Change feature also lets
you switch between multiple memory cards (up to 5) in a USB multi-card
reader or multiple USB thumbdrives (up to 5) connected to a USB hub.

Music Control for Android Smartphone: The Kenwood Music
Control app for Android organizes your Android smartphone's music, while
providing quick and easy search capability from the Kenwood CD receiver. The
free
Kenwood Music Control App for Android can be downloaded onto your Android
smartphone from the Google Play App Store. Your Android smartphone must be
running Android OS Froyo or Gingerbread (2.2+). Once the app is downloaded and has a chance to
organize all the stored music on your Android smartphone, you can connect your
Android smartphone to the Kenwood CD receiver via USB (your compatible Android
smartphone must be recognized as a USB mass storage class device; not
compatible with MTP protocol). The Kenwood Music Control app offers the
following Android supported functions.

Song Management: Music stored in your Android
smartphone can be navigated from the Kenwood CD receiver. Songs can be
easily selected by searching for a Song title, Artist name, Album label, or
Genre.

Song Information Display: Song information such as
Artist name, Song title, and Album label are displayed on the connected
Kenwood CD receiver.

Mood Playlist: Playlists can be created by classifying
songs into categories by type of mood. Songs are analyzed and classified
into the following categories of moods - High Energy (Active/Powerful/Core),
Acoustic (Detailed/Simple/Smooth/Easy), Standard (Dynamic/Rockin/Vivid),
Stylistic (Cool/Urban/Trance)

Intro Skip: This function allows you to choose and
listen to only the hook-lines of songs stored in your Android smartphone.

Note: When the Kenwood Music Control app is first
downloaded it will require some time to populate all the music, so we
suggest doing this overnight.

Music Editor Compatible: The Kenwood KDC-X498 supports the
PC application, Kenwood Music Editor Lite
Kenwood's
Music Editor Lit (v1.1.0). Kenwood Music Editor Lite
is a Windows-based desktop software that helps organize, manage and transfer
MP3/WMA music files to your USB thumbdrive from your PC. When you playback
audio files that have been stored on your USB thumbdrive using Kenwood Music
Editor Lite through this unit, you can search a file by title, album, or artist
name using the head unit's Music Search function. The Kenwood Music Editor Light
(v1.1.0) Windows-based software can be downloaded for free from
Kenwood's website to your PC. The Kenwood Music Editor Light is compatible with
the following Windows Microsoft Operating Systems.

Windows XP Professional, Home Edition SP2 or later (32-bit)

Windows Vista (32/64-bit)

Windows 7 (32/64-bit)

Windows 8

Note: Not compatible with Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad, Zune,
or Android

Aux In: The unit is equipped with a front panel 3.5mm
minijack auxiliary input that can be used to input audio from a portable audio
source, such as a portable MP3 player. The Aux input must be turned on to function. The KDC-X498 allows you to select the
source type displayed when using the auxiliary input. You can choose from AUX,
DVD, Portable, Game, Video, or TV. The
unit has three aux input modes.

iPod/iPhone Control

iPod Direct Connection: The Kenwood KDC-X498's front-panel
USB port can be used to connect your 30-pin dock connector or
Lightning-connector iPod/iPhone to the head unit. The KDC-X498 supports audio
playback, music navigation, information display, and charging of your compatible
Apple device.

30-Pin Dock Connector: If you have an older iPod/iPhone
with a 30-pin dock connector, you can use Kenwood's dock connector-to-USB
cable (113KCIP102,
sold separately) or the dock connector-to-USB cable that comes with your
Apple device to connect your iPod/iPhone to the KDC-X498.

Lightning Connector: If you have a newer iPod/iPhone
with the Lightning-connector, you can use the Lightning-to-USB cable that
came with your Apple device to connect your iPod/iPhone to the KDC-X498.

Note: The head unit's USB connection provides 1A of
current to power and charge your connected iPod/iPhone when your vehicle's
ignition switch is set to the 'ACC' or 'On' position (if your iPod/iPhone
has no initial battery charge, then the unit will not recognize it).

iPod Audio Playback w/ DAC Bypass: The USB connection allows
your iPod/iPhone's stored music and music apps to be loaded instantly to the
head unit and sound quality to be maximized through the head unit's 16-bit D/A
converter, allowing for a Signal to Noise ratio up to 110dB. The Kenwood head
unit supports audio playback of stored music, podcasts, audiobooks, and music
apps on your iPod or iPhone. The KDC-X498 provides music control and song/artist
information display.

Music Control: The Kenwood head unit allows you to navigate
your iPod's music by Playlist, Artists, Album, Genre, Composer, Song, or
Podcast. You can search these categories alphabetically (A-Z) or using a
percentage search (0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%). The head unit also supports Repeat
(file) & Random (folder) playback functions of your connected iPod/iPhone.
Newer iPod/iPhones with iOS 6.0+ allow you to continue to access your Apple
device's touchscreen. Older iPod/iPhone devices will be locked during
connection.

Song/Artist Info: The KDC-X498 will display your
iPod/iPhone's music file information. The head unit will display Track
number, Elapsed playing time, Artist name, Song title, and Album label.

Internet Radio Apps (for iPhone): The Kenwood KDC-X498
allows you to access
Pandora and iHeartRadio
online music services through your USB-connected iPhone. Your Apple iPhone must
be connected to the KDC-X498 via the Kenwood
KCA-iP102 cable (sold separately),
or the cable supplied with your iPhone. Your iPhone will need an active Data
Plan account with connection to the Internet via 3G, EDGE, or WiFi.

Pandora App: The
Pandora App (free) lets you play music from
the Pandora music service through the Kenwood KDC-X498 using your connected
Apple iPhone, via the Kenwood KCA-iP102 USB/iPod connector cable (sold
separately), or the cable supplied with your iPhone. The Kenwood
KDC-X498 provides control over the Pandora music service and displays Artist,
Album, and Song information. You can select Pandora stations from your station
list and sort them by date or alphabetically (A-Z). New stations can be created
based on the current songs or artists playing. You can save up to five Pandora
stations as presets. You can also skip song
tracks within a station. You can even give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down. To
access Pandora you must have an Apple iPhone (iOS 5.0+) with the latest
version of the Pandora application from Apple's iTunes App Store. Your iPhone
will need an active Data Plan account with connection to the Internet via 3G,
EDGE, or WiFi. You will also need a Pandora music service account.

iHeartRadio Link: The free
iHeartRadio Link app for Kenwood from lets you play music from the
iHeartRadio music service through the Kenwood KDC-X498 using your
USB-connected Apple iPhone (iOS 5.0+). The iHeartRadio music service
provides access to more than 1,500 live radio stations from coast-to-coast
(including pop, country, urban, rock, talk, and sports). The KDC-X498 will
provide control over the iHeartRadio Link app, as well as display station
identification and song/artist information. From the head unit's front-panel
controls, iHeartRadio stations can be searched by the following categories
(Local, Genre, City, or My Stations). The Local
selection provides a list of radio stations in your local listening area.
The unit also provides over 22 Genres to choose from (including pop,
country, hip-hop, jazz, etc.) to help you find the right radio station for
you. In addition, you can search for radio stations by City. Cities
can be searched alphabetically (A-Z). You can even store your favorite
stations (My Stations) for easier, quicker access. An active
iHeartRadio account is required.

Note: Access to the Pandora and iHeartRadio services will depend on the
availability of a cellular and/or WiFi network for purposes of allowing your
iPhone to connect to the Internet. Pandora is not supported in Canada and
only available in the United States.

Apple Device Compatibility Chart:
The Kenwood KDC-X498 is "Made for iPod/iPhone" compatible and supports the
following iPod/iPhone model features (as of 9/28/2014):

Apple Device

Generation

Tested Version

Media Type

Control Type

Display Type

iTunes Tagging

Charge

Audio

Video

Head Unit

iPod/iPhone

Pandora/iHeart Radio

Artist/Song Text

Track Info

iPhone

2G

3.1.3

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

3G

4.2.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

3GS

5.1.1

Y

N

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

4

7.1.2

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

4S

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

5/5C/5S

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

6/6+

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

touch

1st

2.2.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

2nd

4.2.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

3rd

5.1.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

4th

6.1.3

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

5th

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

nano

1st

1.3.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

N

Y

2nd

1.1.3

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

N

Y

3rd

1.1.3

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

4th

1.0.4

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

5th

1.0.2

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

6th

1.2 PC

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

7th

1.02PC

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

classic

80GB

1.1.2

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

120GB

2.0.1

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

160GB

2.0.4

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

video

5th

1.3

Y

N

Y

N

N

Y

Y

N

Y

iPad

1

5.1.1

Y

N

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

2

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

3

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

4/air

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

mini

8.0

Y

N

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Note: Apple iPod/iPhone software updates may change
functionality results. If you download a newer software version, you may
need to reset the head unit and your iPod/iPhone to regain functionality. If
this doesn't work, you may need to wait until a newer software update is
available.

Disc Playback

Disc Compatibility:
The unit features a single disc player that will playback CD-Audio and finalized
CD-R/CD-RW audio discs. The CD slot is hidden behind a manual fold-up cover
which blends into the front-panel of the head unit.

MP3/WMA Playback: The KDC-X498 can play MP3 (8-320 kbps)
and WMA (32-192 kbps) music files recorded on CD-R and CD-RW discs in ISO9660 Level
1/Level 2, Joliet, Romeo, and Long file name formats. Each disc can have a
maximum of 8 directory levels, 500 folders, and 500 files per folder (500 maximum
number of files and folders). During MP3/WMA playback, the unit displays any
recorded ID3 Tag (ver. 1.x/2.x) and WMA Tag information - up to 60 characters.

Text Scroll: The KDC-X498 will display MP3/WMA audio file
text. You can set the text scrolling feature to three different modes (Auto,
Once, or Off) to scroll longer titles across the screen.

Music Search + Direct Search: The Kenwood AM/FM CD receiver features a Music
Search feature which allows you to scroll through and select your MP3/WMA music
folders and files, as well as scroll through your audio CD's music tracks using
the head unit's rotary knob. The supplied IR wireless remote control
(RC-406) allows you to search for music directly by entering the track number.

Playback Modes: The Kenwood KDC-X498 features the following Repeat,
Random, and Scan playback modes.

Repeat Play: Track, File, or Folder

Random Play: Disc or Folder

Scan Play: Track or File (plays the first 10-seconds of each
music track on a disc or music file in a folder)

Last Position Memory: If the unit is shut off or switched to
the tuner mode while a CD is playing, the next time CD is selected as the
source, playback will resume from the point where it left off.

CD Read: This function sets the method for reading a CD
disc. You can choose between two modes.

CD1: Automatically distinguishes between audio file
disc and music CD when playing a CD or CD-R/RW disc.

CD2: When unable to play a special formatted CD, set
this function to CD2 to force playing. Some music CD discs may be
unplayable even when set to this mode.

Off Insert/Eject: A CD disc can be inserted or ejected with
the power off. When a disc is inserted with the power off, the unit will
automatically power up and begin playback.

Auto Reload: If the ejected disc is not removed within 15
seconds, the disc is automatically inserted again into the loading slot to
protect it from dust.

HD Radio

Built-In HD Tuner: With its built-in HD Radio tuner, you can
receive digital AM/FM broadcasts from local stations where available. HD Radio
significantly improves AM/FM audio quality and reception, as well as includes
information such as artist name and song titles or traffic news, viewable on the
receiver's display. HD Radio Technology will deliver high-quality digital sound.
AM digital will have FM-like quality in stereo (70dB SN @ 40-15kHz), while FM
digital will have CD-like quality (75 dB SN @ 20-20kHz) with static free and
clear reception. The unit's built-in HD Radio tuner allows analog AM/FM tuning
as well.

Note: HD Radio is the system for digital AM and FM
broadcasting in the U.S. More than 2,000 radio stations are broadcasting
their primary signals in digital HD Radio technology, as a free service. Go
to HDRadio.com to
check for HD Radio stations in your area.

Receive Mode: You can setup the KDC-X498 to receive both
analog and digital radio stations (Auto), only HD Radio stations (Digital), or
only analog radio stations (Analog).

IF Band: You can switch the tuner's IF Band to Wide or Auto
to increase/decrease the selectivity. The Auto setting increases the tuner
selectivity to reduce interference noises from adjacent stations (stereo effect
may be lost). The Wide setting decreases the tuner's selectivity which is
subject to interference noises from adjacent stations, but sound quality will
not be degraded and the stereo effect will remain.

Station Text + Multicasting: AM/FM digital stations can
offer text and data such as artist names and song titles. In
addition to conventional broadcasts, with HD Radio broadcasting it is possible
to choose from up to 8 multicast programs (HD1 to HD8).

Seek Modes + Direct Tuning: You can choose one of three seek
modes: Auto 1 (seek tuning), Auto 2 (cycles through and tunes the selected
band's preset stations only with each button press), or Manual. You can directly
access an AM/FM station by entering in the frequency number using the include
wireless remote control.

Tuner Presets: The KDC-X498's tuner features 3 FM banks (1,
2, 3) and 1 AM bank for storing presets. Not only does the CD receiver's tuner
allow you manually enter your desired presets you can choose to have the unit
automatically put stations with good reception in the memory banks
automatically; this is a handy feature when traveling. The Kenwood Excelon
KDC-X498 offers two preset modes.

Normal: You can store 6 presets for each AM/FM bank
giving you a total of 18 FM presets and 6 AM presets (total of 24).

Mix: A total of 6 preset stations can be assigned to
the head unit's 6 preset buttons, regardless of AM/FM band. This lets you
recall a preset station without switching between bands.

iTunes Tagging: It is possible to save the song's
information (tag) from and HD Radio broadcasting station to your USB-direct
connected iPod/iPhone. The songs will show up in a playlist called "Tagged" in
iTunes (7.4 or later) the next time you sync your iPod/iPhone. Then you can
directly buy the songs you want from the iTunes Music Store. Your iPod/iPhone
must have at least 50MB of free space to "tag" and transfer songs. You can "tag"
up to 50 songs.

Display Features

Detachable Face w/ Hidden CD Slot: The Kenwood KDC-X498
features a hidden CD slot behind a manual flip-up cover which blends into the
front-panel of the head unit. The KDC-X498 also features a detachable face to
deter theft (no face case provided). An optional soft face case (142DFC1X,
sold separately) can be purchased for this unit. A face-fixing screw is supplied
for making the face non-detachable, if desired.

Variable Color Illumination: The Kenwood KDC-X498 features
variable color display and button illumination. You can choose from one of 24
preset colors, have the unit scan through all 24 preset colors continuously, or
customize your own color (RGB; 0-9). The custom setting allows you to
individually adjust the intensity of Red, Green, and Blue (from 0-9) to better
match your vehicle's interior lights. The same color setting is applied to both
the display and buttons. The Kenwood logo and eject button remain red.

Brightness & Dimmer: You can dim the LCD and button
illumination to better suit the time of day. You can adjust the maximum
brightness of the LCD and button illumination from 0-31. The Kenwood logo and eject button
do not dim.

12Hr/24Hr Clock: The head unit can be set to display a 12hr or 24hr
clock. The unit also displays the day (Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, or Sat).With your vehicle's key in the accessory or start position,
the head unit continues to display the clock and button illumination during
Standby mode. Pressing and
holding the source button turns the unit off completely.

Demo Mode: This unit features a Demo mode which can be
turned On or Off within the menu.

Remote Control

Wireless Remote Control: The KDC-X498 comes with an IR
remote control (RC-406) for wireless operation of the head unit. The remote will
control Audio, CD, USB, and Tuner functions. It is powered by a single CR2025 3V
lithium-cell battery (supplied).

Numeric Keypad: The wireless remote control features a
numeric keypad (0-9) which allows direct track access of your music tracks &
files (from CD or USB), as well as AM/FM presets.

Attenuator: The CD receiver features an Attenuator button on
the supplied remote control that turns the volume down very quickly with one
touch of the button.

Steering Wheel Remote Compatibility: The head unit features
an OEM steering wheel remote control input wire (blue/yellow) within the included wiring harness that lets you keep your vehicle's factory radio steering wheel remote controls when used with
an optional
steering wheel audio control adapter (sold separately). Please consult
Crutchfield's
Outfit My Car to see if your vehicle is compatible.

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to
find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research
team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record
dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies
to help people make informed choices.

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EASY INSTALL 2009 Altima

This product was a 2014 Christmas gift for my son and we installed it this way. First, put the dash kit, Receiver and wiring harness together. About 20 minutes.Then 10 minutes to take out stock receiver and had the new receiver installed in another 10 minutes. Very easy install. Nothing hard. It does help to watch an online video on taking out or installing a receiver on your make and model.

Pros:Easy to navigate to all functions. Great price, sound, features and more....

Happy with the install & operation

Upgraded wife's truck in addition to mine. Not wanting to learn (2) different operating processes, I got us both the same model. The install in my wife's Toyota Tacoma was easy & fast. Surprisingly, the fit was much tighter in my GMC Sierra. She was ecstatic with the features and listening choices. There were several reviews that complained of display brightness (or lack thereof) - and we can confirm this issue. However, neither of us consider this a show-stopper and we've been happy with all other aspects. I opted for the additional Kenwood XR400-4 amp, and the difference in audio quality is significant. This combo may not offer the ear pounding loudness kids aspire, but it does deliver a good, clean sound that overcomes road noise. Though she didn't want the add-on in her truck, she's now reconsidering. Both systems are using the factory speakers - and for now, all's good. Mine being an older truck, I would have to isolate and fix various cabin squeak/vibration sources before investing in upgraded speakers.

Pros:good audio; good selection of inputs, works well with Apple products.

Kenwood KDC-498

The value is the best I can find. The watts per channel are more than enough to run a good system. If I had more power, I probably would blow my speakers. The ease of use is easy. The different levels of functions are easy to return one level and the previous level is always visible in the lower of two display lines on the front of the radio. The colors are cool and the installation was fast.

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X498

This receiver does everything I want: Digital Media either on CD or USB. and HD Radiio Tuner. For those who want to link with Pandora or I Heart Radio via I phone or Android. It supposedly will do that. But I'll never use that.

Pros:Excellent Strong HD Radio Tuner. I pick up some HD Radio stations from 60 miles away.

Cons:None yet. I suppose the clock display may be too small. But oh well.

User friendly radio!

I was looking for a radio that has the iPod connect on the face of the radio and something more user friendly. This is a great radio and is great for the price. I highly recommend this radio! Fit great in my Jeep.

Awesome head unit

I was looking around for a new head unit to replace my factory stereo in my 01 Hyundai Accent. This head unit has been really good to me and was easy to setup once you read directions a little for the more in depth options. Required an app download from the Apple Store so I can use my iPad Air to it for use with the Pandora, iheart radio and other audio stuff. Found out that it allows you to play any audio source from your apple device through the stereo, including watching YouTube from the web browser and personal videos taken from your device.

Though if you're playing a song or what not from your apple device and you get a call, it will mute the song your playing and take the call as priority for some reason. Also if you get an email, that sound my iPad plays for the notification will play through the stereo too. So check your setting s if you're gonna have it up loud. You don't want a DING!!!! Coming through the speakers when jamming out. Ha ha ha. Other then that, it's a really awesome unit to own. Also has 24 different display colors to chose from or have them all change on their own which is cool if that's what you like.

Pros:pandora, Iheart radio, USB, aux, hd radio connectivity. Can search for a song on the cd or radio station without changing the current song or radio station.

Cons:Display is a little dim and sometimes hard to see when it's really bright outside. And the system settings can only be set from the very beginning either after you reset the whole stereo by pressing the little reset button behind the face plate or when you initially turn it on for the first time. If you have to go back and change a setting, like speaker size or cd or radio settings, you have to reset the whole stereo all over again and lose all your settings to get to them.

Excellent Radio!

This is the 2nd of this series I have purchased. I had one in my old truck, and when I went to replace the head unit in this truck, it wasn't even a second though. I perused a few other brands, but features for the price, this is pretty hard to beat. This thing has 3 differ bet pre am outputs, planets of EQ, display, and playback options to boot...it even upped my sound quality a tiny bit in my sticker speakers. This is step one of a stereo build, next is a 4 way amp and door speakers, then subs. Very happy, very good product.

Pros:looks good, detachable face, a bazillion colors for the display, lots of per amp outputs

Great deck for the price!

Needed to replace the factory deck in my work truck and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Less than $120 shipped with the harness and wiring kit - I don't know how Crutchfield does it. Great little deck with a lot of features, I had a couple of questions during the install, two quick calls and my questions were answered in less than two minutes! Third buying experience with Crutchfield and will buy again.

Pros:Great quality, great sound, even better value, easy to use features

Good Buy

I had a minor problem with the installation in which the antenna control did not work. A quick call to the Crutchfield tech support and I got the help I needed to successfully complete the installation.

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X498

Installation was painless. Operation takes some getting used to but eventually it delivers as described. i am using it in a convertible so the display is generally not visible on a sunny day--likely the case with any ratio. I like it and would unconditionally recommend it.

Pros:Ease of installation. Great with my iPhone

Cons:Display could be brighter but does not take it out of the 5 star category.

you get more than what you pay for

sound quality is great. the eq is easy to use, and gets you very clear full sound. Yes the function lighting isnt the best in the daylight. but it is about the sound quality with the head unit for me. you get great sound quality and functional eq controls. it does what it should, and thats good enough for me.

Pros:it hits all the important targets im after in a head unit at a great price point. ( great sound quality, 6 outputs, high volt outputs, quality & easy to use eq, etc... )

everything but time......

This unit is almost everything I wanted it to be....I like the fact the the preamps are a little beefier than most.......My real complaint is this....I use the USB to run my IPOD for the most part...Kenwood will let you control it from the unit or from the IPod....I always choose IPod because its easier to look through 100 GB of music that way when you know where its at.........so, when you opt to control from the device the unit displays APPS/IPOD CONTROL (or something to that effect) on the face......you can't change it to just display the clock.....or the band that is playing......song title.....anything......and that is lame. Generally the clock only displays as the secondary on the face.....really small.....Fix that Kenwood......or tell me how, no one I've talked to seems to know.

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X498

I've previously had a very similar Kenwood KDC-HD548U that I was please with, so I came back to Kenwood. I assumed the "Excelon" prefix indicated it was a better but I guess I was wrong. I sent this back because: 1)- As other users noted, the display is dim. I use the iPod interface as my primary source of music and it is nearly impossible to navigate the menu if the sun is out. 2)- The iPod navigation only goes from the top of the alphabet down. So if you want to listen to ZZ Top, you have to scroll all the way through all your music. This is just annoying. The other model lets you go directly backwards from A. 3)- The knobs and buttons feel cheap. Not a huge problem, but translates to poor user experience and the impression that this unit won't be durable.

Sound and radio reception were fine. If you don't know whether you want/need HD radio, I'll make it easy for you: yes, get it. I just recommend getting it in a different unit.

Great Value

Time to upgrade my older Alpine. Wanted Aux in for mp3 players, and HD radio. I have had Great Kenwood Amps, Tuners, n Turntables in past. Always great sound! Really pleased with this radio.

Pros:I chose the Excelon brand for the increased sound controls. Well worth it. Adjust Bass, Mid, and Treble. Custom and Pre defined EQ controls. I love how your sound adjustment modes stay on, so you can fine tune levels with out them reverting back to main display. HD radio gets some stations clearer. Very easy to add Amp and/or Subwoofer. Has HPF to help protect your speakers from distortion. Crisp Clear Sound.

Just what I was looking for

I like this unit quite a bit. I purchased it to modernize an 8-year-old car so that I could play music from portable devices on road trips. I chose this unit with HD Radio over a Bluetooth unit because I do not play or stream music from my battery-addled phone, and more often listen to broadcast radio. I like the look---it looks good and fits in with my 8-year-old interior without being too flashy. I also love how you can plug in a flash drive packed with MP3s and have a music library in your car.

I find the controls pretty easy to use; the buttons are small but are textured enough for me to be able to push them, and the SRC and HD Radio buttons are large and easy (and satisfying!) to push. The knob feels a little "cheap," but it works fine and looks good. Settings are easy to access and intuitive enough; I've only had to look in the instruction manual once.

My one wish is that you could display the song title, artist, AND clock, instead of just two out of three!

I did the installation myself (first time I have installed a car stereo) using the Crutchfield MasterSheet and wire harness kit instructions and it was dead simple (if you know your way around a soldering iron). I also integrated it with my steering wheel controls, which was a little trickier, but not too bad. Thanks, Crutchfield!

All in all, I am very pleased with the unit, especially for the features I got for the price.